Method and apparatus of data transmission in next generation cellular networks

ABSTRACT

A communication method and system for converging a 5 th -Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4 th -Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT) are provided. The communication method and system may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method of a user equipment (UE) for receiving data is provided. The method includes receiving, from a base station, information on radio resources allocated to the UE, and receiving, from the base station, data based on the information on the radio resources. The radio resources are associated with a plurality of symbols in a time domain and a plurality of resource block groups in a frequency domain. The information on the radio resources includes at least one of first information on a starting symbol, or second information on a size of each of the resource block groups.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior Application Ser.No. 15/675,118, filed on Aug. 11, 2017, which issues as U.S. Pat. No.10,602,516 on Mar. 24, 2020, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of a U.S. Provisional patent application filed on Aug. 11, 2016in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and assigned Ser. No.62/373,655, and of a U.S. Provisional patent application filed on May 4,2017 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and assigned Ser. No.62/501,265, the entire disclosure of each of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for datatransmission. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to aresource configuration and a scheduling method in next generationcellular networks.

BACKGROUND

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased sincedeployment of fourth generation (4G) communication systems, efforts havebeen made to develop an improved fifth generation (5G) or pre-5Gcommunication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication systemis also called a ‘Beyond 4G Network’ or a ‘Post long term evolution(LTE) System’. The 5G communication system is considered to beimplemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, soas to accomplish higher data rates. To decrease propagation loss of theradio waves and increase the transmission distance, beamforming, massivemultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO),array antenna, analog beam forming, and large scale antenna techniquesare discussed in 5G communication systems. In addition, in 5Gcommunication systems, development for system network improvement isunder way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks(RANs), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication,wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication,coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellationand the like. In the 5G system, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) andquadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation (FQAM) and slidingwindow superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation(ACM), filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access(NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced accesstechnology have been developed.

In the recent years several broadband wireless technologies have beendeveloped to meet the growing number of broadband subscribers and toprovide more and better applications and services. The second generation(2G) wireless communication system has been developed to provide voiceservices while ensuring the mobility of users. The third generation (3G)wireless communication system supports not only the voice service butalso data service. The 4G wireless communication system has beendeveloped to provide high-speed data service. However, the 4G wirelesscommunication system currently suffers from lack of resources to meetthe growing demand for high speed data services. Therefore, the 5Gwireless communication system is being developed to meet the growingdemand of various services with diverse requirements, e.g., high speeddata services, ultra-reliability and low latency applications andmassive machine type communication. The spectrum utilization efficiencyneeds to be improved. There is high potential that various services areto be supported in a single 5G cellular network, and hence flexiblemultiplexing of multiple services is necessary. In addition, the systemdesign should consider forward compatibility to smoothly add newservices in the future.

FIG. 1 shows an example of resource allocation in LTE systems accordingto the related art. In the cellular networks, the system design usuallyhas limited flexibility on resource allocations. Take the 4G LTE systemas one example; the resources assigned for downlink and uplink datatransmission are usually a number of physical resource blocks (PRBs)pairs as a baseline, which occupies one subframe in the time domain andseveral contiguous or non-contiguous PRBs in the frequency domain, asshown in FIG. 1. There is limitation of the current schemes to supportvarious resource allocation scenarios in the 5G networks. For example,it is beneficial to allow data transmission re-use some of the unusedcontrol regions to improve spectrum utilization efficiency. In addition,there is a need to support multiplexing different services or userequipments (UEs) in a time division multiplexing (TDM) manner within atransmission time interval (TTI) or subframe. The symbols in a TTI orsubframe are not all allocated to a UE in some scenarios. However, noresource allocation protocol has been specified. In this disclosure, themethods of flexible resource allocations for the future cellularnetworks, e.g., LTE-advanced (LTE-A) or 5G, is disclosed.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide a communication method and system forconverging a 5^(th)-Generation (5G) communication system for supportinghigher data rates beyond a 4^(th)-Generation (4G) system.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofa user equipment (UE) for receiving data is provided. The methodincludes receiving, from a base station, information on radio resourcesallocated to the UE, and receiving, from the base station, data based onthe information on the radio resources. The radio resources areassociated with a plurality of symbols in a time domain and a pluralityof resource block groups in a frequency domain. The information on theradio resources includes at least one of first information on a startingsymbol, or second information on a size of each of the resource blockgroups.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, a userequipment (UE) including a transceiver and at least one processor isprovided. The transceiver is configured to receive signals from a basestation and transmit signals to the base station. The at least oneprocessor is configured to control the transceiver to receive, from thebase station, information on radio resources allocated to the UE, andcontrol the transceiver to receive, from the base station, data based onthe information on the radio resources. The radio resources areassociated with a plurality of symbols in a time domain and a pluralityof resource block groups in a frequency domain. The information on theradio resources includes at least one of first information on a startingsymbol, or second information on a size of each of the resource blockgroups.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofa base station for transmitting data is provided. The method includestransmitting, to a user equipment (UE), information on radio resourcesallocated to the UE, and transmitting, to the UE, data based on theinformation on the radio resources. The radio resources are associatedwith a plurality of symbols in a time domain and a plurality of resourceblock groups in a frequency domain. The information on the radioresources includes at least one of first information on a startingsymbol, or second information on a size of each of the resource blockgroups.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a basestation including a transceiver and at least one processor is provided.The transceiver is configured to receive signals from a user equipment(UE) and transmit signals to the UE. The at least one processor isconfigured to control the transceiver to transmit, to the UE,information on radio resources allocated to the UE, and control thetransceiver to transmit, to the UE, data based on the information on theradio resources. The radio resources are associated with a plurality ofsymbols in a time domain and a plurality of resource block groups in afrequency domain. The information on the radio resources includes atleast one of first information on a starting symbol, or secondinformation on a size of each of the resource block groups.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates shows an example of resource allocation in LTEsystems according to the related art;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of resource grid according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of resource sharing in a TTI for NR/LTEcoexisting scenario according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of resource reservation/configurationbased on TTI bitmap and symbol indication according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of configuration based on symbol bitmapindication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of configuration based indication of startsymbol and end symbol according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of configuration based indication ofcontinuously allocated symbols according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate examples of configuration ofRBs/subcarriers in the frequency domain according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of configuration of RBs/subcarriers in theNR/LTE coexisting scenario according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a combination of time/frequency resourceconfiguration/reservation according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of configured BWP and CORESET for DCImonitoring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of dynamic resource allocations accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of dynamic symbol bitmap indicationaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of dynamic indication of start symbol andend symbol according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of dynamic indication of start symbol andend symbol from symbol subset according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of UE procedure to derive symbolassignment procedure according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of resource allocation with beamformingoperation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart of UE procedure to derive symbolassignment information according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate examples of continuous symbol assignment withtree based signaling method according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 21 illustrates another example of continuous symbol assignment withtree based signaling method according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate examples of indicating non-assigned symbolwith tree based signaling method according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 24 and 25 illustrate examples of indicating assigned ornon-assigned symbol with tree based signaling method according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 26 illustrates a flowchart of UE procedure to determine assigned ornon-assigned symbols with tree based signaling method according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 27 illustrates an example of continuous RB allocations withindication granularity of 2 RBs according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 28 illustrates an example of different RBG sizes corresponding todifferent TTIs or transmission duration cases according to an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of different RBG size and differentnumber of RBGs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 30 illustrates an example of different DCI size given different RBGsize according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of UE procedure to determine schedulinggranularity and DCI size and resource allocations according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 32 illustrates another example of UE procedure to determinescheduling granularity and DCI size and resource allocations accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 33A and 33B illustrate a UE procedure to determine resource fordata transmission and reception based on semi-statically configuredresource reservation and dynamic resource allocation according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 34 illustrates a method of a UE for receiving/transmitting dataaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 35 illustrates a method of a base station forreceiving/transmitting data according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 36 is a block diagram of a UE in a cellular network according to anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a base station in a cellular networkaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

By the term “substantially” it is meant that the recited characteristic,parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations orvariations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error,measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those ofskill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effectthe characteristic was intended to provide.

It is known to those skilled in the art that blocks of a flowchart (orsequence diagram) and a combination of flowcharts may be represented andexecuted by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be loaded on a processor of a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or programmable data processing equipment.When the loaded program instructions are executed by the processor, theycreate a means for carrying out functions described in the flowchart.Because the computer program instructions may be stored in a computerreadable memory that is usable in a specialized computer or aprogrammable data processing equipment, it is also possible to createarticles of manufacture that carry out functions described in theflowchart. Because the computer program instructions may be loaded on acomputer or a programmable data processing equipment, when executed asprocesses, they may carry out steps of functions described in theflowchart.

A block of a flowchart may correspond to a module, a segment, or a codecontaining one or more executable instructions implementing one or morelogical functions, or may correspond to a part thereof. In some cases,functions described by blocks may be executed in an order different fromthe listed order. For example, two blocks listed in sequence may beexecuted at the same time or executed in reverse order.

In this description, the words “unit”, “module” or the like may refer toa software component or hardware component, such as, for example, afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) capable of carrying out a function or anoperation. However, a “unit”, or the like, is not limited to hardware orsoftware. A unit, or the like, may be configured so as to reside in anaddressable storage medium or to drive one or more processors. Units, orthe like, may refer to software components, object-oriented softwarecomponents, class components, task components, processes, functions,attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers,firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables,arrays or variables. A function provided by a component and unit may bea combination of smaller components and units, and may be combined withothers to compose larger components and units. Components and units maybe configured to drive a device or one or more processors in a securemultimedia card.

FIG. 1 shows an example of resource allocation in LTE systems accordingto the related art.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of resource grid according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, considering an orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) based communication system, a resource element canbe defined by a subcarrier during on OFDM symbol duration. In the timedomain, a transmission time interval (TTI) can be defined which iscomposed of multiple OFDM symbols. In the frequency domain, a resourceblock (RB) can be defined which is composed of multiple OFDMsubcarriers.

As shown in FIG. 2, the resources can be divided into TTIs in timedomain and RBs in frequency domain. Typically, a RB can be a baselineresource unit for scheduling in the frequency domain, and a TTI can be abaseline resource unit for scheduling the time domain. However,depending on different service features and system requirements, therecan be other options.

1) Semi-Static Resource Configuration

To support multiplexing of different services, a base station (BS) ofthe next generation radio network (gNodeB (NB)) or a new radio (NR), cansemi-statically pre-configure some resources for different services. Tosupport forward compatibility, it is also possible to pre-configure someresource for the services to be supported in the future. For example,when the network is to be coexisted with other networks such as longterm evolution (LTE), the reserved resource for LTE can be static. Basedon the performance requirement and traffic feature of a certain service,the BS (or gNB) decides how to pre-configure the resources in anefficient and flexible manner. The resource configurations can besignaled in the system information of a cell.

Time Domain Resource Configuration

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of resource sharing in a TTI for NR/LTEcoexisting scenario according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, to support some service with low latencyrequirement, partial symbols in a TTI can be reserved in a periodicmanner. Or, to reserve some resources for other networks/services, e.g.,when coexisting with other networks such as LTE, the reserved resourcescan be static and may have a pre-defined pattern. For example, whencoexisting with LTE, and if a TTI has 14 symbols which is same as LTE,some symbols in a TTI can be reserved for LTE control region andcell-specific reference signal (CRS) symbols, since thesechannels/signals are always transmitted in LTE.

As shown in the example of FIG. 3, during one TTI, 5 symbols can bereserved for LTE, including the first 2 symbols for LTE control regionand 3 other symbols for CRS symbols. The other 9 symbols in one TTI canbe used for NR. The resources can be configured based on thecombinations of TTI allocation and symbol assignment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of resource reservation/configurationbased on TTI bitmap and symbol indication according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the TTI allocation indicates the TTI (e.g.,subframe) to be allocated for the corresponding services, which can bederived based on a TTI bitmap with a pre-defined length M. The bitmapcan be applied to every M TTIs to derive the allocated TTIs, as shown inFIG. 4. If there is no TTI bitmap, it can be assumed that the symbolreservation/configuration is applied to every TTI. The time resourcescan be configured based on one or more sets of combined TTI allocationand symbol assignment.

The symbol assignment indicates the symbols in the correspondingallocated TTIs. Assuming that there are N symbols in the given TTIduration, multiple signaling options can be used to indicate theassigned symbols.

Embodiment 1: Symbol Bitmap

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of configuration based on symbol bitmapindication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, if there are N symbols in the given TTI duration, abitmap {b₀,b₁, . . . ,b_(n),b_(n+1), . . . ,b_(N−1)} with length of Ncan be used to explicitly indicate if the n-th symbol is allocated ornot, e.g., by setting b_(n)=1 or 0. This requires N bits for indicationof each symbol. For example, if N=14, an indication with 14 bits bitmapis required.

Embodiment 2: Start Symbol Index, End Symbol Index (or Number ofSymbols)

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of configuration based indication of startsymbol and end symbol according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6, if there are N symbols in the given TTI duration,an indication of (n_(start), n_(end)) can be used to indicate that thesymbols with index starting from n_(start) to n_(end) are allocated.Alternatively, an indication of (n_(start), n_(symbol)) can be used toindicate that n_(symbol) continuous symbols starting from n_(start) areallocated, i.e., till to the symbol with index (n_(start)+n_(symbol)−1).In other words, information on the starting symbol and the duration ofthe assigned continuous symbols can be signaled. This requires 2┌log₂┌N┐bits for indication. For example, if N=14, an indication with 8 bits isrequired.

Embodiment 3: Indication of Continuously Allocated Symbols

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of configuration based indication ofcontinuously allocated symbols according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring FIG. 7, to further reduce the overhead, a tree based signalingmethod can be used for indication if continuous symbols are alwaysassigned. A resource indication value (RIV) can be signaled, to derivethe index of starting symbol n_(start) and the number of assignedcontinuous symbols n_(symbol). The relationship between RIV andn_(start)/n_(symbol) can be expressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} n_{symbo1}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor},\; {{R\; I\; V} = {{N\left( {n_{symbo1} - 1} \right)} + n_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{n_{symbo1} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{R\; I\; V} = {{N\left( {N - n_{symbo1} + 1} \right)} + \left( {N - 1 - n_{start}} \right)}}$

This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits for indication. For example, if N=14, an indication with 7 bits isrequired. An example with N=6 case is shown in FIG. 7.

Frequency Domain Resource Configuration

To support some service with narrow bandwidth requirement, partialsubcarriers in a RB can be reserved. The frequency resources can beconfigured based on the combinations of RB allocation and subcarrierassignment.

The RB allocation indicates the RBs to be allocated for thecorresponding services. For example, this can be signaled by the indexof the start RB and end RB, e.g., Start_RB_Index, End_RB_Index, whichmeans the RBs with index from Start_RB_Index to End_RB_Index areallocated. Alternatively, this can be signaled by the start RB index andnumber of allocated RBs, e.g., Start_RB_Index, Num_RB, which means theRBs with index from Start_RB_Index to (Start_RB Index+Num_RB-1) areallocated. The RB allocation schemes in LTE can be re-used.

The subcarrier assignment indicates the subcarriers in the correspondingallocated RBs. Assuming that there are K subcarriers in a RB, multiplesignaling options can be used to indicate the assigned subcarriers.

Embodiment 1: Start Subcarrier Index in the 1st RB and End SubcarrierIndex in the Last RB

FIG. 8A illustrates an example of configuration of RBs/subcarriers inthe frequency domain according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8A, on top of the signaled RB index, theStart_Subcarrier_Index and the End_Subcarrier_Index can be signaled. TheStart_Subcarrier_Index indicates the start subcarrier index in the firstallocated RB, and the End_Subcarrier_Index indicates the end subcarrierindex in the last allocated RB, as shown in FIG. 8A. All subcarriers inthe middle RBs are allocated.

Embodiment 2: Number of Subcarriers in the Edge RBs

FIG. 8B illustrates another example of configuration of RBs/subcarriersin the frequency domain according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8B, on top of the signaled RB index, theNum_Subcarrier can be signaled. The Num_Subcarrier indicates the numberof subcarriers used in the edge RBs. For example, the lastNum_Subcarrier subcarriers in the first allocated RB are assigned, andthe first Num_Subcarrier subcarriers in the last allocated RB areassigned. All subcarriers in the middle RBs are allocated.

Alternatively, the Num_Subcarrier may indicate the number ofnon-allocated subcarriers in the edge RBs. For example, the firstNum_Subcarrier subcarriers in the first allocated RB are not assigned,and the last Num_Subcarrier subcarriers in the last allocated RB are notassigned. All subcarriers in the middle RBs are allocated. FIG. 8B showsan example of this approach with Num_Subcarrier=3.

Embodiment 3: Number of Subcarriers in the Edge RBs

FIG. 8C illustrates another example of configuration of RBs/subcarriersin the frequency domain according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8C, in Embodiment 2, it is assumed that the parameterNum_Subcarrier in the 1^(st) RB and last RB is the same. It is alsopossible that the parameter can be different, e.g.,Num_Subcarrier_Start_PRB in the 1^(st) RB and Num_Subcarrier_End_PRB inthe last RB. The parameter can indicate the number of assignedsubcarriers or non-assigned subcarriers, similar as the case inEmbodiment 2. An example is shown in FIG. 8C, withNum_Subcarrier_Start_RB=3 and Num_Subcarrier_End_RB=2 denoting thenumber of non-assigned subcarriers in the 1^(st) RB and last RB,respectively.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of configuration of RBs/subcarriers in theNR/LTE coexisting scenario according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, in some cases, it is possible to only reserve someresource elements among the indicated RBs. For example, when coexistingwith legacy LTE networks, some LTE signals, e.g., CRS can be reservedand not used by the current network. Assuming that there are Ksubcarriers in a RB, multiple signaling options can be used to indicatethe reserved subcarriers.

Embodiment 1

A RE level bitmap can be used to indicated which REs are reserved andnot be used.

Embodiment 2: Start RE Index and Interval within a RB

For example, a starting RE index is a, and an interval b, can indicatethat the REs with index {a,a+b,a+2b, . . . } within K REs are reserved.In FIGS. 9, a=0, b=3, and K=12, and in each RB the REs with index{0,3,6,9} are reserved for CRS and not used by NR transmission.

Time/Frequency Domain Resource Configuration

FIG. 10 illustrates a combination of time/frequency resourceconfiguration/reservation according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. It is possible that a certain service may not always occupythe resource in the whole frequency domain, or in the whole time domain.Therefore, the time domain and frequency domain resource configurationscan be combined to indicate the pre-configured resource in a cell, asshown in FIG. 10. There can be one or multiple sets of resourceconfigurations. The resource configurations can be signaled in thesystem information.

For the resources reserved for other services not operated by thecurrent network, e.g., when coexisting with other systems or networks,the resources are not be used by the gNB and UEs accessing the currentnetwork. And the UEs assume that there are no signals or transmissionson the reserved resources in the current network. If the reservedresources are configured in the system information, all UEs in the cellmay assume that the resources are not available. The configuration canbe UE-specific via RRC signaling, i.e., gNB indicates a certain UE orgroup of UEs the configuration of the reserved resources and UEs assumethat in configured resources are not available.

2) Dynamic Resource Configuration

After the UE is connected to the system, the UE can obtain the basic TTIinformation. The possible set of number of symbols in a TTI andnumerologies can be pre-defined. The UE can be configured by a certainset of parameters, e.g., TTI duration 0 with N symbols in a configurednumerology 0, TTI duration 1 with M symbols in a configured numerology0, etc. The UE may assume that the frequency resources for datatransmission or reception can be the full system bandwidth. Or, afrequency subband (or called a bandwidth part, BWP) can be configured toa UE for data transmission or reception. The configured frequencysubband is smaller than or equal to the system bandwidth, as well assmaller than or equal to the UE bandwidth. There can be a configurednumerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, CP type, etc.) in the BWP. Thecontrol channels are transmitted in a control region, where the controlresource set (CORESET) can be semi-statically configured in the systeminformation or via UE-specific RRC signaling, e.g., M OFDM symbolsincluding OFDM symbol {0,1, . . . ,M−1} in a certain frequency partwhich is less than or equal to the system bandwidth or configured BWP.One TTI duration can be a default interval to for UEs to monitor theCORESET, or a UE-specific CORESET monitoring interval can be configured.Within the configured CORESET, the PDCCH carrying downlink controlindication (DCI) can be transmitted in the resources based on apre-defined rule. The UE searches PDCCH to detect any valid DCIs forscheduling data transmissions/receptions based on monitoring interval.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of configured BWP and CORESET for DCImonitoring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, based on the system requirement and amount oftraffic to be scheduled, the BS (or gNB) decides how to allocate theavailable resources in an efficient and dynamic manner.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of dynamic resource allocations accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, multiple UEs can be multiplexed in a single TTI,and hence flexible resource allocation is required.

Time Domain Resource Configuration

In the system, the available resources during a time unit (e.g., a TTI)can be dynamically assigned to the UEs according to the schedulingrequirement. It is possible that the resources can be assigned to theUEs in a TDM manner. The information on assigned symbols to the UE needsto be signaled, e.g., in DCI or a dedicated channel in a TTI. Theindication can be valid to a certain UE, or a group of UEs based on apre-defined rule, e.g., the UEs for a certain service. For example,certain signaled symbol assignment information can be commonly appliedto the UEs for a specific service, and different symbol assignmentinformation can be signaled to the UEs for another service.

Embodiment 1: Full Symbol Bitmap Indication

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of dynamic symbol bitmap indicationaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, if there are N symbols in the given TTI duration,a bitmap {b₀, b₁, . . . , b_(n), b_(n+1), . . . , b_(N−1)} with lengthof N can be used to explicitly indicate if the n-th symbol is allocatedor not, e.g., by setting b_(n)=1 or 0. The allocated symbols do not needto be continuous. This requires N bits for indication of each symbol, asshown in FIG. 13. For example, if N=14, an indication with 14 bitsbitmap is required. If there are control symbols in the beginning of aTTI, the bitmap for these symbols can be included or precluded in thebitmap. The length of the signaled symbol bitmap can be pre-definedbased on a certain rule, e.g., a fixed number of control symbols are notincluded in the symbol bitmap.

Embodiment 2: Indication of Start Symbol Index, End Symbol Index (orNumber of Symbols)

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of dynamic indication of start symbol andend symbol according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14, if there are N symbols in the given TTI duration,an indication of (n_(start), n_(end)) can be used to indicate that thesymbols with index starting from n_(start) to n_(end) are allocated, asshown in FIG. 14. Alternatively, an indication of (n_(start),n_(symbol)) can be used to indicate that n_(symbol) continuous symbolsstarting from n_(start) are allocated, i.e., till to the symbol withindex (n_(start)+n_(symbol)−1). Or, an indication of (n_(end),n_(symbol)) can be used to indicate that n_(symbol) continuous symbolstill n_(end) are allocated, i.e., from the symbol with index(n_(end)−n_(symbol)+1) to the symbol with index n_(end). This requires2┌log₂ N┐ bits for indication. For example, if N=14, an indication with8 bits is required.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of dynamic indication of start symbol andend symbol from symbol subset according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, to reduce the overhead, the indication ofn_(start) and n_(end) can be applied to a limited number of symbols. Forexample, the n_(start) only indicate one symbol among the first Asymbols in the beginning of a TTI, the n_(end) only indicate one symbolamong the last B symbols in the end of a TTI, where A and B arepre-defined integer numbers. An example is shown in FIG. 15, wheren_(start) indicate one symbol among the first 4 symbols, and n_(end)indicates one symbol among the last 4 symbols. In this way, it requires2 bits for n_(start) and 2 bits for n_(end).

In some cases, it is possible that a certain parameter can be fixed orpre-configured. For example, the start symbol index n_(start) can be indefault configured to the 1^(st) symbol in the TTI or the 1^(st) symbolafter the control symbol if present. The end symbol index n_(e)nd can bein default configured to the last symbol in the TTI. The number ofsymbols n_(symbol) can fixed to a pre-defined number, e.g., 1 or 2.Based on the pre-configured parameters and dynamically signaledparameters, the UE can derive the assigned symbols.

In some cases, a set of starting symbols for data transmission can beconfigured, e.g., in the BWP configuration or CORESET configuration. Ifmore than one value is configured, the exact starting symbol selectedfrom the configured set is indicated in the DCI of a data transmission.Similarly, a set of possible ending symbols for data transmission ortransmission duration can be configured. If more than one value isconfigured, the exact ending symbol or transmission duration selectedfrom the configured set is indicated in the DCI of a data transmission.The size of the configured set of starting symbols and set of endingsymbols (or transmission duration) determine the size of the relatedindication field in the DCI, e.g., time domain resource allocationfield. If the size of the configured set of possible starting symbols isA, the indication filed in DCI may requires log₂ A bits. Similarly, ifthe size of the configured set of possible starting symbols is B, theindication filed in DCI may requires log₂ B bits. Two separate fieldscan be used to indicate the starting symbol and end symbol (ortransmission duration), e.g., with log₂ A bits and log₂ B bits,respectively. Or, total log₂ AB bits can be used to jointly indicate thestarting symbol and end symbol (or transmission duration). Or, 1 bitfield in the DCI can be used to indicate the start symbol is thepre-defined one or the configured one in the control regionconfiguration. Similarly, 1 bit field in the DCI can be used to indicatethe end symbol is the pre-defined one or the configured one in thecontrol region configuration. The configuration of the set of startingsymbols and end symbols can be different for downlink and uplink datatransmission. The configuration can be UE-specific. According to thepre-defined rule and the configuration, the UE decides the size of thecorresponding time domain resource allocation field. The derived fieldlength is assumed when UEs try to search a corresponding DCI.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of UE procedure to derive symbolassignment procedure according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16, UE receives a configuration of control regions anda control monitoring interval at operation 1610. UE identifies whetherthere is a dynamic DCI field to indicate a starting symbol and/or anending symbol (or duration) based on the configuration at operation1620. If the dynamic DCI field is configured, UE decide a field size forthe start symbol and/or the ending symbol (or the duration) indicationin the DCI at operation 1630. Otherwise, i.e., If no dynamic DCI fieldto indicate such information is configured, UE may assume pre-definedvalues or preconfigured values for the starting symbol and/or endingsymbol (or duration) at operation 1640. UE decides a full DCI size forsearching corresponding DCI in the control region at operation 1650. UEdecodes the DCI to derive symbol assignment information at operation1660.

In some cases, with separate configurations of a set of starting symbolsand a set of ending symbols may not work well. For example, the networkmay only use some combinations of the starting symbols and endingsymbols in the configuration. Some other combinations are not used. Thisresults in wastage of the signaling bits, if to indicate all thecombinations of the starting symbols and ending symbols in theconfiguration. For example, the network wants to multiplex the datatransmission in a TDM manner in a slot, one candidate data transmissionis from symbol 0 to symbol 6, and another candidate data transmission isfrom symbol 7 to 13. There are two candidates of starting symbol, e.g.,0 and 7, and two candidates of ending symbol, e.g., 6 and 13. However,gNB may not schedule a data transmission from 0 to 13 and from 7 to 6.With separate indication of starting symbols and ending symbols, 1 bitis needed to indicate the starting symbol and 1 bit is needed toindicate the ending symbol, which require total 2 bits. However, thereare only two (2) interested scheduling cases from the network, which canbe indicated by 1 bit.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of resource allocation with beamformingoperation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17, as another example, when gNB transmits data viabeamforming, gNB may schedule different symbol groups for differentbeams and multiplex beamformed data transmissions in a TDM manner withina slot, as shown in FIG. 17. Therefore, to support these resourceallocation cases while reducing the signaling overhead and avoidingindication error case, another method is to directly configure the<starting symbol, ending symbol> to be used by the network. One ormultiple sets of <starting symbol, transmission duration> (orequivalently <starting symbol, ending symbol>) for data transmission canbe configured, e.g., in the control region configuration. If multiplesets are configured, the exact set selected from the configured set isindicated in the DCI of a data transmission. The number of theconfigured sets of <starting symbol, transmission duration> determinesthe size of the related indication field in the DCI, e.g., time domainresource allocation field. If the number of the configured sets is A,the indication filed in DCI may require ┌log₂ A┐ bits. The configurationof the set of <starting symbol, transmission duration> can be differentfor downlink and uplink data transmission. The configuration can beUE-specific, e.g., configured by RRC. Based on the configuration, the UEdecides the size of the corresponding time domain resource allocationfield in the DCI, and hence can determine the DCI size based on apre-defined rule. The derived field length is assumed when UEs try tosearch a corresponding DCI.

FIG. 18 illustrates a flow chart of UE procedure to derive symbolassignment procedure according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 18, UE receives a configuration of control regions anda control monitoring interval at operation 1810. UE identifies whetherthere is any configuration of <starting symbol, ending symbol> (orequivalently <starting symbol, transmission duration>) to indicate oneor multiple sets of <starting symbol, ending symbol> at operation 1820.If the configuration to indicate one or multiple set of <startingsymbol, ending symbol> exists, UE decide a field size of time resourceallocation in the DCI, based on the number of configured sets of<starting symbol, ending symbol> at operation 1830. Otherwise, i.e., ifsuch configuration does not exist, UE assumes predefined values orpre-configured values for starting symbol and/or ending symbol (orduration) at operation 1840. UE decides a full DCI size for searchingcorresponding DCI in the control region at operation 1850. UE derivessymbol assignment information after decoding DCI at operation 1860.

Embodiment 3: Tree Based Indication of Continuously Allocated Symbols

FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate examples of continuous symbol assignment withtree based signaling method according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20, to further reduce the overhead, a treebased signaling method can be used for indication if continuous symbolsare assigned. If there are N symbols in the given TTI duration, thepossible cases of selecting a number of continuous symbols can beexpressed by N, N−1, N−2, . . . , 1, respectively for selecting 1, 2, .. . , N continuous symbols. In total, there are total

$\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}$

combinations of continuous symbol assignment. A resource indicationvalue (RIV) can be signaled, to derive the index of starting symboln_(start) and the number of assigned continuous symbols n_(symbol). Therelationship between RIV and n_(start)/n_(symbol) can be expressed asfollows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} n_{symbol}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor},{{R\; I\; V} = {{N\left( {n_{symbol} - 1} \right)} + n_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{20mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{n_{symbol} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{R\; I\; V} = {{N\left( {N - n_{symbol} + 1} \right)} + \left( {N - 1 - n_{start}} \right)}}$

This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits for indication. For example, if N=14, an indication with 7 bits isrequired. In FIG. 19, an example of N=6 is shown.

Based on the indicated RIV, the UE can derive the values of n_(start)and n_(symbol) as follows:

${\left\lfloor \frac{RIV}{N} \right\rfloor + 1},{b = {{RIV}\; {mod}\; N}}$If  a + b > N, n_(symbol) = N + 2 − a, n_(start) = N − 1 − b;Else  (i.e., a + b ≤ N), n_(symbol) = a, n_(start) = b.

This scheme does not require a lookup table, and the UE can simplyderive the values of n_(start) and n_(symbol) and obtain the informationof assigned symbols. FIG. 20 illustrates how to derive the assignedsymbols based on the signaled RIV.

FIG. 21 illustrates another example of continuous symbol assignment withtree based signaling method according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 21, alternative tree based signaling method can beused for indication if continuous symbols are assigned. There are total

$\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}$

combinations of continuous symbol assignment. A resource indicationvalue (RIV) can be arranged in different order based on a pre-definedrule. For example, the RIV is arranged in an increasing order for thenumber of assigned symbols are 1, N, 2, N−1, 3, N−2, and so on. Thenumber of combination for the number of assigned symbols with n andN+1-n is always N+1. The RIV values can be determined accordingly. Theother arrangement options are also possible if the rule is clearlydefined. Based on the signaled RIV, the index of starting symboln_(start) and the number of assigned continuous symbols n_(symbol) canbe derived. The relationship between RIV and n_(start)/n_(symbol) can beexpressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} n_{symbol}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor},{{RIV} = {{\left( {N + 1} \right)\left( {n_{symbol} - 1} \right)} + n_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{n_{symbol} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{RIV} = {{\left( {N + 1} \right)\left( {N - n_{symbol}} \right)} + \left( {n_{start} + n_{symbol}} \right)}}$

Based on the indicated RIV, the UE can derive the values of n_(start)and n_(symbol) as follows:

${a = {\left\lfloor \frac{RIV}{N + 1} \right\rfloor + 1}},{b = {{RIV}\; {mod}\; \left( {N + 1} \right)}}$ If  a + b > N, n_(symbol) = N − a + 1, n_(start) = a + b − N − 1;Else  (i.e., a + b ≤ N), n_(symbol) = a, n_(start) = b.

Similarly, this scheme does not require a lookup table, and the UE cansimply derive the values of n_(start) and n_(symbol) and obtain theinformation of assigned symbols. In FIG. 21, an example of N=6 is shown,with the RIV arranged in an increasing order for the number of assignedsymbols are 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4.

Embodiment 4: Indication of Non-Allocated Symbols

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate examples of indicating non-assigned symbolwith tree based signaling method according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, it is also possible to indicate theinformation of non-assigned symbols in the TTI to the UEs, e.g., if asmall number of symbols may be used for other services. Excluding thenon-assigned symbols, the remaining symbols in the TTI are considered asthe assigned symbols to the UE.

Assume that non-assigned symbols are continuously located; a tree basedsignaling method can be used to indicate the continuously non-assignedsymbols. Assume that the maximum number of non-assigned symbols is N₁,the total number of possible combinations is N+(N−1)+(N−2)+ . . .+(N−N₁+1). A non-assigned resource indication value (NRIV) can bearranged in different order based on a pre-defined rule. For example,the NRIV is arranged in an increasing order for the number ofnon-assigned symbols are 1, N₁, 2, N₁−1, 3, N₁−2, and so on. The otherarrangement options are also possible if the rule is clearly defined.Based on the signaled NRIV, the index of non-assigned first symbolñ_(start) and number of non-assigned symbols ñ_(symbol) can be derived.An example of the relationship between NRIV and ñ_(start)/ñ_(symbol) canbe expressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} {\overset{\sim}{n}}_{symbol}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N_{1}}{2} \right\rfloor},{{NRIV} = {{\left( {{2N} - N_{1} + 1} \right)\left( {{\overset{˜}{n}}_{symbol} - 1} \right)} + {\overset{˜}{n}}_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{{\overset{\sim}{n}}_{symbol} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{NRIV} = {{\left( {{2N} - N_{1} + 1} \right)\left( {N_{1} - {\overset{˜}{n}}_{symbol}} \right)} + \left( {{\overset{˜}{n}}_{start} + {\overset{˜}{n}}_{symbol}} \right)}}$

Based on the indicated RIV, the UE can derive the values of ñ_(start)and ñ_(symbol) as follows:

${a = {\left\lfloor \frac{RIV}{{2N} - N_{1} + 1} \right\rfloor + 1}},{b = {{NRIV}\; {mod}\; \left( {{2N} - N_{1} + 1} \right)}}$${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} a} + b} > N},{{\overset{\sim}{n}}_{symbol} = {N_{1} - a + 1}},{{{\overset{˜}{n}}_{start} = {a + b - N - 1}};}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{a + b} \leq N}} \right)},{{\overset{\sim}{n}}_{symbol} = a},{{\overset{˜}{n}}_{start} = {b.}}$

In FIG. 22, an example of N=6, N₁=3 is shown, with the NRIV arranged inan increasing order for the number of assigned symbols are 1, 4, 2, 3.FIG. 23 illustrates how to derive the assigned symbols based on thesignaled NRIV.

Embodiment 5: Combined Indication of Allocated and Non-Allocated Symbols

FIGS. 24 and 25 illustrate examples of indicating assigned ornon-assigned symbol with tree based signaling method according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, it is also possible to combine the treebased signaling method for indication of continuously assigned symbolsand non-assigned symbols can be used for indication. The RIV is composedof two subsets, where the 1^(st) subset is for indication ofcontinuously assigned symbols (assuming that the assigned symbols arecontinuous), and the 2^(nd) subset is for indication of discontinuouslyassigned symbols (assuming that the non-assigned symbols arecontinuous).

1^(st) RIV subset: The RIV in the 1^(st) subset is used to indicatecontinuously assigned symbols. Similar as the RIV in Embodiment 3,

$\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}$

values

$\left( {{e.g.},{{{from}\mspace{14mu} 0\mspace{14mu} {to}\mspace{14mu} \frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}} - 1}} \right)$

can be used to indicate the continuously assigned symbols to derive theindex of first assigned symbol n_(start) and number of assigned symbolsn_(symbol). The relationship between RIV and n_(start)/n_(symbol) can beexpressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} n_{symbol}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor},{{RIV} = {{\left( {N + 1} \right)\left( {n_{symbol} - 1} \right)} + n_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{n_{symbol} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{RIV} = {{\left( {N + 1} \right)\left( {N - n_{symbol}} \right)} + \left( {n_{start} + n_{symbol}} \right)}}$

2^(nd) RIV subset: The RIV in the 2^(nd) subset is used to indicate thediscontinuously assigned symbols. Assume that non-assigned symbols arecontinuously located and not in the side of a TTI, a tree basedsignaling method can be used to indicate the continuously non-assignedsymbols, e.g., among N-2 symbols, where the first and last symbols arenot counted. Thus,

$\frac{\left( {N - 2} \right)\left( {N - 1} \right)}{2}$

values

$\left( {{e.g.},{{{from}\mspace{14mu} \frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}\mspace{14mu} {to}\mspace{14mu} \frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2}} + \frac{\left( {N - 2} \right)\left( {N - 1} \right)}{2}}} \right)$

can be used to indicate these additional combinations, to derive theindex of non-assigned first symbol ñ_(start) and number of non-assignedsymbols ñ_(symbol), as shown in FIG. 24. After deriving the non-assignedsymbols, the assigned symbols can be accordingly obtained.

This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\left( {\frac{N\left( {N + 1} \right)}{2} + \frac{\left( {N - 2} \right)\left( {N - 1} \right)}{2}} \right)} \right\rceil = \left\lceil {\log_{2}\left( {N^{2} - N + 1} \right)} \right\rceil$

bits for indication. For example, if N=14, an indication with 8 bits isrequired. The example with N=6 is shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 26 illustrates a flowchart of UE procedure to determine assigned ornon-assigned symbols with tree based signaling method according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 26, UE receives a DCI with a RIV indication atoperation 2610. UE determines whether the RIV value is in 1^(st) subsetfor continuous symbol assignment or in 2^(nd) subset for discontinuoussymbol assignment at operation 2620. If the RIV value is in 1^(st)subset for continuous symbol assignment, UE derives information on astart symbol index and the number of continuously assigned symbols atoperation 2630. Otherwise, i.e., if the RIV value is in 2^(nd) subsetfor discontinuously assigned symbol, UE derives information onnon-assigned symbol index and the number of non-assigned symbols atoperation 2640. UE derives information on the assigned symbols atoperation 2650.

A flag can be used to indicate the signaled symbols are assigned symbolsor non-assigned symbols, e.g., 1 bit indication. The symbol indicationcan be interpreted depending on the flag, i.e., assigned symbols ornon-assigned symbols.

Embodiment 6: Symbol Group Indication

If there are N symbols in the given TTI duration, there can beN_(G)=┌N/N₁┐ symbol groups by combining N₁ symbols in a group based on apre-defined rule. The resource indication can be based on the symbolgroups, i.e., the symbols of the indicated symbol groups are assigned.

Embodiment 6.1: Symbol Group Bitmap

If there are N_(G) symbol groups in the given TTI duration, a bitmap{b₀, b₁, . . . , b_(n), b_(n+1), . . . , b_(N) _(G) ⁻¹} with length ofN_(G) can be used to explicitly indicate if the n-th symbol group isallocated or not, e.g., by setting b_(n)=1 or 0. This requires N_(G)bits for indication of each symbol.

Embodiment 6.2: Start Symbol Group Index, End Symbol Group Index (orNumber of Symbol Groups)

If there are N_(G) symbol groups in the given TTI duration, anindication of (n_(start), n_(end)) can be used to indicate that thesymbol groups with index starting from n_(start) to n_(end) areallocated. Alternatively, an indication of (n_(start), n_(group)) can beused to indicate that n_(group) continuous symbol groups starting fromn_(start) are allocated, i.e., till to the symbol group with index(n_(start)+n_(group)−1). This requires 2 ┌log₂ N_(G)┐ bits forindication.

Embodiment 6.3: Allocated Symbol Groups

For another example, a tree based signaling method can be used forindication if continuous symbol groups are assigned. A resourceindication value (RIV) can be signaled, to derive the index of startingsymbol n_(start) and the number of assigned continuous symbol groupsn_(group). The relationship between RIV and n_(start)/n_(group) can beexpressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} n_{group}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N_{G}}{2} \right\rfloor},{{RIV} = {{N_{G}\left( {n_{group} - 1} \right)} + n_{start}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{n_{group} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N_{G}}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{RIV} = {{N_{G}\left( {N_{G} - n_{group} + 1} \right)} + \left( {N_{G} - 1 - n_{start}} \right)}}$

This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{G}\left( {N_{G} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits for indication.

The above symbol assignment in a slot can be used together with slotassignment in the resource allocation. For example, it is possible thatmore than one slot can be allocated for data transmission, which can beindicated by a separate field. In that case, the symbol assignment canbe applied to all the allocated slots.

Frequency Domain Resource Allocation

The number of RBs in a cell may depend on the system bandwidth andnumerologies. The UE may assume that the frequency domain resourceallocation is based on the system bandwidth. If a frequency subband or abandwidth part (BWP) is configured to a UE for data transmission orreception, the UE assumes that the frequency domain resource allocationis based on the configured BWP. Given the configured numerology, the UEcan derive the RB size and number of total RBs in the system bandwidthor configured BWP. The RB indices scheduled for a UE can be signaled inthe following ways.

Embodiment 1: RB Indication Embodiment 1.1: RB Bitmap

This option uses a bitmap to indicate which RBs are allocated to a UE.The allocated RBs do not need to be contiguous. For example, a value of1 indicates that the RB is allocated to the UE. If the number of totalRBs is N_(RB), this requires a bitmap of length N_(RB).

Embodiment 1.2: RB Index and Number of RBs

This option indicates a start RB index and number of RBs allocated to aUE. The allocated RBs are contiguous. If the number of total RBs isN_(RB), this requires an indication of a start RB index with log₂ N_(RB)bits, and the number of RBs with log₂ N_(RB), with total 2 log₂ N_(RB)bits.

Embodiment 1.3: RIV Indication

The tree based signaling method can be used to indicate a set ofcontiguous RBs allocated to a UE. This is similar as the downlinkresource allocation type 2 and uplink resource allocation type 0 in LTE.If the number of total RBs is N_(RB), the RIV corresponds to a startingRB with index RB_(start)=0, 1, 2, . . . , N_(RB)−1 and a length in termsof allocated RBs with L_(RB)=1, 2, . . . , N_(RB). The relationshipbetween RIV and RB_(start) and L_(RB) can be expressed as follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} L_{RB}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}}{2} \right\rfloor},{{RIV} = {{N_{RB}\left( {L_{RB} - 1} \right)} + {RB_{start}}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{L_{RB} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}}{2} \right\rfloor}} \right)},{{RIV} = {{N_{RB}\left( {N_{RB} - L_{RB} + 1} \right)} + \left( {N_{RB} - 1 - {RB}_{start}} \right)}}$

where L_(RB)≥1 and shall not exceed N_(RB)−RB_(start). This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}\left( {N_{RB} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits for indication, which can be used in the frequency RB assignmentfield in the DCI. There could be many cases of the signaling bit lengthdepending on the system/BWP parameters, which makes the DCI sizevariable. To reduce the cases of signaling bit length and hence somewhatlimit the cases of DCI sizes; some possible bit lengths of frequency RBassignment field can be pre-defined. If there are multiple pre-definedcandidates of bit length for the frequency RB assignment field in theDCI, e.g., {L₀, L₁, L₂, . . . }, the minimum value L_(n) which is largerthan or equal to

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}\left( {N_{RB} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

can be used as the bit length of the frequency RB assignment field. Allthe L_(n) bits can be directly used provide a RIV and indicate theallocated RBs. Or, among the L_(n) bits, the

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}\left( {N_{RB} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

can be used to indicate the RB allocations, and the remaining

$L_{n} - \left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}\left( {N_{RB} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits can be used as padding bits.

FIG. 27 illustrates an example of continuous RB allocations withindication granularity of 2 RBs to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 27, to further reduce the overhead, the indicationgranularity or increment step can be more than one RB, e.g., N_(RB)^(step) RBs, RIV corresponds to a starting RB with index

${{RB_{start}} = 0},N_{RB}^{step},{2N_{RB}^{step}},\ldots \mspace{14mu},{\left( {\left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}}{N_{RB}^{step}} \right\rfloor - 1} \right)N_{RB}^{step}}$

and a length in terms of allocated RBs with

${L_{RB} = N_{RB}^{step}},{2N_{RB}^{step}},\ldots \mspace{14mu},{\left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}}{N_{RB}^{step}} \right\rfloor {N_{RB}^{step}.}}$

The relationship between RIV and RB_(start) and L_(RB) can be expressedas follows:

${{{{If}\mspace{14mu} L_{RB}^{\prime}} - 1} \leq \left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}}{2} \right\rfloor},{{RIV} = {{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {L_{RB}^{\prime} - 1} \right)} + {RB}_{start}^{\prime}}}$${{Else}\mspace{14mu} \left( {{i.e.},{{L_{RB}^{\prime} - 1} > \left\lfloor \frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}}{2} \right\rfloor},} \right)},{{RIV} = {{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} - L_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)} + \left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} - 1 - {RB}_{start}^{\prime}} \right)}}$

where L′_(RB)=L_(RB)/N_(RB) ^(step), RB′_(start)=RB_(start)/N_(RB)^(step), N′_(RB)/N_(RB) ^(step), and L′_(RB)≥1 and shall not exceedN′_(RB)−RB′_(start). This requires

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits for indication. An example of indication granularity of 2 RBs(N_(RB) ^(step)=2) is shown in FIG. 27. The candidate indicationgranularity can be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc.

This compact resource allocation can be used for scheduling of systeminformation, paging messages and random access response or datatransmission requires reduced signaling overhead. The size of theindication granularity N_(RB) ^(step) can be fixed or predefined basedon a function of the number of RBs in the system bandwidth or theconfigured bandwidth part.

There can be multiple sets of indication granularities, for differentTTI cases, or for different PDCCH monitoring intervals configured by thesystem. For example, one set can be for the TTI case with 14 symbols,another set for the TTI case with 7 symbols, and one or multiple setsfor the TTI case with less than 7 symbols. A reference set can be usedto derive the other sets, e.g., by scaling the indication granularitysize. For example, the set of indication granularity size for TTI with14 symbols can be the reference set, as denoted by Set 0 in the Table 1.The Set 1 is the set of indication granularity size for TTI with 7symbols. The indication granularity size with the same number of RBs canbe simply derived by scaling the number, e.g., Y0=2*X0, where the scalar2=14/Num_symbol_TTI is from the difference of number of symbols in thetime domain. In this way, the indication granularity can have similaramount of REs in different TTI cases. Or, a set of pre-defined scalingfactors can be used, e.g., 2 times for TTI with 7 symbols, 4 times forTTI with 2 symbols, 8 times for TTI with 1 symbol.

TABLE 1 Set of indication granularity size for compact DCI format indifferent cases Indication Indication Indication granularity granularitygranularity size size size # of RBs (Set 0) (Set 1) (Set 2) <=N0 X0 Y0Z0 N0 + 1 ~ N1 X1 Y1 Z1 N1 + 1 ~ N2 X2 Y2 Z2 N2 + 1 ~ N3 X3 Y3 Z3 . . .. . . . . . . . .

Given a pre-defined reference set of indication granularity, the scalingfactor for calculate the indication granularity N_(RB) ^(step) can beconfigured for a certain control region, or for certain search space.The indication granularity is calculated by scaling the referenceindication granularity in the corresponding RB size by the configuredscalar value. Or, the size of indication granularity N_(RB) ^(step) canbe explicitly configured for a CORESET, or for certain search space, orfor the corresponding DCI format with RIV based resource allocationtype. A size of indication granularity N_(RB) ^(step) can be configuredto a UE as a UE-specific configuration. Based on the indicationgranularity N_(RB) ^(step) which is derived based on a pre-defined ruleor configured, as well as the BW for resource allocation, the length ofsignaling bits corresponding to frequency domain resource allocation canbe derived, e.g.,

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

where N′_(RB)=┌N_(RB)/N_(RB) ^(step)┐. Similarly, if there are multiplepre-defined candidates of bit length for the frequency RB assignmentfield in the DCI, e.g., {L₀, L₁, L₂, . . . }, the minimum value L_(n)which is larger than or equal to

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

can be used as the bit length of the frequency RB assignment field. Thederived length of signaling bits is assumed when UEs try to search acorresponding DCI.

Alternatively, if there are multiple pre-defined candidates of bitlength for frequency RB assignment field, e.g., {L₀, L₁, L₂, . . . },the bitmap size can be explicitly configured for a BWP, or for aCORESET, or for certain search space, or for the corresponding DCIformat with RIV based resource allocation type. Assume that there areN_(RB) RBs in the configured BWP, and a frequency RB assignment fieldbit length L_(n) is configured, the minimum candidate indicationgranularity N_(RB) ^(step) (e.g., among pre-defined values 2, 4, 8, 16,32, etc.) which satisfying

${\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil \leq L_{n}},{N_{RB}^{\prime} = \left\lceil {N_{RB}/N_{RB}^{step}} \right\rceil}$

is used as the indication granularity. So among the signaling bit lengthwith configured size L_(n), the actually required bit length is

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil.$

All the L_(n) bits can be directly used provide a RIV and indicate theallocated RBs. Or, among the L_(n) bits, the

$\left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

can be used to indicate the RB allocations, and the remaining

$L_{n} - \left\lceil {\log_{2}\frac{N_{RB}^{\prime}\left( {N_{RB}^{\prime} + 1} \right)}{2}} \right\rceil$

bits can be used as padding bits.

Embodiment 2: RB Group Indication

A RB Group (RBG) can be defined which consists of a number of RBs. Thenumber of RBs within a RBG can be fixed or predefined based on afunction of the system bandwidth. If the gNB configured a bandwidth partfor resource allocation inside, the RBG size can be a function of theconfigured bandwidth part. Given the number of available RBs, the systembandwidth or a configured bandwidth part includes a number of competeRBG, and a partial RBG can be included if the total number of RBs is nota multiple of RBG size. The indicated RBG index can be associated withthe physical RB index based on a pre-define rule. For example, if thereare K RBGs, the virtual index {0,1, . . . ,K−1} can be associated withthe RBG indices {RBG_Index(0), RBG_Index(1), . . . , RBG_Index(K−1)}.

Embodiment 2.1: RBG Bitmap

This option uses a bitmap to indicate which RBGs are allocated to a UE.The allocated RBGs do not need to be contiguous. For example, a value of1 indicates that the RBG is allocated to the UE. If the number of totalRBs is N_(RB), and the RBG size is P RBs, this requires a bitmap oflength

$\left\lceil \frac{N_{RB}}{P} \right\rceil.$

This is similar as the downlink resource allocation type 0 in LTE.

Embodiment 2.2: RBG Index and Number of RBGs

This option indicates a start RBG index and number of RBGs allocated toa UE. The allocated RBGs are contiguous.

Embodiment 3: Combination of RBG Index and RB Index

The available BGs are divided into multiple RBGs, and each RBG includeone or more RBs. The RBG index can be first indicated, and then withinthe RBG the indices of RBs allocated to a UE can be further indicated.

FIG. 28 illustrates an example of different RBG sizes corresponding todifferent TTIs or transmission duration cases according to an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of different RBG size and differentnumber of RBGs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The RBG size can be predefined based on a function of the number of RBsin the system bandwidth or the configured bandwidth part. There can bemultiple sets of RBG sizes, for different TTI cases, or for differentPDCCH monitoring intervals configured by the system. For example, oneset can be for the TTI case with 14 symbols, another set for the TTIcase with 7 symbols, and one or multiple sets for the TTI case with lessthan 7 symbols. The candidate RBG sizes can be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc.A reference set can be used to derive the other sets, e.g., by scalingthe RBG size. For example, the set of RBG size for TTI with 14 symbolscan be the reference set, as denoted by Set 0 in the Table 2. The Set 1is the set of RBG size for TTI with 7 symbols. The RBG size with thesame number of RBs can be simply derived by scaling the number, e.g.,2*P0, where the scalar 2=14/Num_symbol_TTI is from the difference ofnumber of symbols in the time domain. In this way, the RBG can havesimilar amount of REs in different TTI cases. An example is shown inFIG. 28, where different RBG size corresponds to different TTIs ortransmission durations.

TABLE 2 Set of RBG size for different cases RBG Size RBG Size # of RBs(Set 0) (Set 1) <=N0 P0 P0′ N0 + 1 ~ N1 P1 P1′ N1 + 1 ~ N2 P2 P2′ N2 + 1~ N3 P3 P3′ . . . . . .

Or, a set of pre-defined scaling factors can be used, e.g., 2 times forTTI with 7 symbols, 4 times for TTI with 2 symbols, 8 times for TTI with1 symbol. Given a pre-defined reference set of RBG size, the scalingfactor for calculate the RBG size can be configured for a CORESET, orfor certain search space, or for the corresponding DCI format with RBGbased resource allocation type. The RBG size is calculated by scalingthe reference RBG size in the corresponding RB size by the configuredscalar value. Or, the RBG size can be explicitly CORESET, or for certainsearch space, or for the corresponding DCI format with RBG basedresource allocation type. A RBG size can be configured to a UE as aUE-specific configuration.

FIG. 30 illustrates an example of different DCI size given different RBGsize according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 30, based on the RBG size P which is derived based ona pre-defined rule or configured, as well as the BW for resourceallocation, the length of signaling bits corresponding to frequencydomain resource allocation can be derived, e.g., ┌N_(RB)/P┐, which canbe used in the frequency RB assignment field in the DCI. There could bemany cases of the signaling bit length depending on the system/BWPparameters, which makes the DCI size variable. To reduce the cases ofsignaling bit length and hence somewhat limit the cases of DCI sizes;some possible bit lengths of frequency RB assignment field can bepre-defined. If there are multiple pre-defined candidates of bit lengthfor RBG bitmap signaling, e.g., {L₀, L₁, L₂, . . . }, the minimum valueL_(n) which is larger than or equal to ┌N_(RB)/P┐ can be used as thebitmap signalling. Among the L_(n) bits, the first ┌N_(RB)/P┐ bits(e.g., MSB or LSB) can be used to indicate the RB allocations, and theremaining L_(n)−┌N_(RB)/P┐ bits can be used as padding bits. The derivedlength of signaling bits is assumed when UEs try to search acorresponding DCI. In FIG. 29, an example is shown that given a BWP with100 RBs, a configured RBG size of 2, 4, 8 RBs can provide 50, 25, 13RBGs respectively. In FIG. 30, an example is shown that the frequencydomain resource allocation field in the DCI may be different dependingon a configured RBG size and hence different number of RBGs.

Alternatively, if there are multiple pre-defined candidates of bitlength for RBG bitmap signaling, e.g., {L₀, L₁, L₂, . . . }, the bitmapsize can be explicitly configured for a BWP, or for a CORESET, or forcertain search space, or for the corresponding DCI format with RBG basedresource allocation type. Assume that there are N_(RB) RBs in theconfigured BWP, and a RBG bitmap size L_(n) is configured, the minimumcandidate RBG size P_(m) (e.g., among pre-defined RBG size values 2, 4,8, 16, 32, etc.) which is larger than or equal to ┌N_(RB)/L_(n)┐ can beused as the RBG size. So among the RBG bitmap with configured sizeL_(n), the actual bit length for RBG signalling is ┌N_(RB)/P_(m)┐. So,the first ┌N_(RB)/P_(m)┐ bits (e.g., MSB or LSB) can be used to indicatethe RB allocations, and the remaining L_(n)−┌N_(RB)/P_(m)┐ bits (ifthere are) can be used as padding bits.

FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of UE procedure to determine schedulinggranularity and DCI size and resource allocations according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 31, UE receives a configuration of BWP, CORSET, andPDCCH monitoring interval at operation 3110. UE determines the number ofRBs in in the system bandwidth or configured bandwidth based onconfigured numerology at operation 3120. UE determines DCI format forsearching DCI at operation 3130. UE determines whether there is anyconfigured RB scheduling granularity for the DCI format at operation3140. If any, UE uses the configured RB scheduling granularity for thecorresponding DCI at operation 3150. Otherwise, UE determines the RBscheduling granularity and bit length based on the pre-defined rule ormapping table at operation 3160. UE decides full size of DCI format forsearching corresponding DCI in the control region at operation 3170. UEderives RB assignment information after decoding DCI at operation 3180.The scheduling granularity can be minimum number of RBs (N_(RB) ^(step))in the continuous RB allocation with RIV based resource allocation type,or the RBG size in the RBG based resource allocation type. Differentresource allocation type may correspond to different DCI format.

FIG. 32 illustrates another example of UE procedure to determinescheduling granularity and DCI size and resource allocations accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 32, UE receives a configuration of BWP, CORSET, andPDCCH monitoring interval at operation 3210. UE determines the number ofRBs in the system bandwidth or configured bandwidth based on configurednumerology at operation 3220. UE determines DCI format for searching DCIat operation 3230. UE determines whether there is any configuredsignaling bit length for RB allocation for the DCI format at operation3240. If any, UE determines the RB scheduling granularity based onconfigured bit length for the corresponding DCI at operation 3250.Otherwise, UE determines the RB scheduling granularity and bit lengthbased on the pre-defined rule or mapping table at operation 3260. UEdecides full size of DCI format for searching corresponding DCI in thecontrol region at operation 3270. UE derives RB assignment informationafter decoding DCI at operation 3280. The scheduling granularity canthen be determined. The case can be for RIV based resource allocationtype, or RBG based resource allocation type. Different resourceallocation type may correspond to different DCI format.

3) Scheduling Method

The gNB may send the scheduling grant via DCI to UEs to explicitlyindicate the assigned resources in the time and frequency domain. Therecan be multiple DCI formats with different indication approaches. Basedon the received DCI format, the UE derives the allocated time/frequencyresource based on the corresponding indication method in the DCI.

In some cases, the allocated resources need to be derived by combiningthe resource information indicated in DCI and the additional resourceindication. The additional resource indication can be signaled in thesystem information. For example, some resources are pre-configured orreserved for some other services. Even though there is no indication inDCI, the UE may implicitly derive the resource conflict, and avoid usingthe conflicted resources. Based on a pre-defined rule, the conflictedresources may not be counted in the resource mapping process.Alternatively, the conflicted resources may be counted in the resourcemapping process, but not transmitted.

FIGS. 33A and 33B illustrate a UE procedure to determine resource fordata transmission and reception based on semi-statically configuredresource reservation and dynamic resource allocation according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 33A and 33B, UE receives PBCH and system informationto obtain information on reserved resources from semi-statisticalconfiguration at operation 3305. UE receives configuration of BWP,numerology, and CORESET from system information or UE-specific RRCsignaling at operation 3310. UE monitors PDCCHs in the CORESET withinthe corresponding BWP at operation 3315. UE determines valid DCIs fromsuccessfully decoded PDCCH, and obtain the information on dynamicallyassigned resources for scheduled data transmissions/receptions atoperation 3320. UE determines whether there is conflict betweendynamically assigned resources and reserved resources bysemi-statistical configuration at operation 3325. If there is conflictbetween dynamically assigned resources and reserved resources, UEassumes that the conflicted resources are not used based on pre-definedrule, e.g., the reserved resources are rate-matched at operation 3330.Thereafter or if it is determined that there is no conflict betweendynamically assigned resources and reserved resources at operation 3325,the procedure proceeds to operation 3335 at which UE determines whetherthere is conflict between dynamically assigned resources and othersystem essential signals/channels (e.g. PSS/SSS/PBCH, etc.). If there isconflict between dynamically assigned resources and other systemessential signals/channels, UE assumes that the conflicted resources arenot used based on a pre-defined rule, e.g. the reserved resources arerate-matched at operation 3340. Thereafter or if it is determined thatthere is no conflict between dynamically assigned resources and reservedresources at operation 3335, the procedure proceeds to operation 3345 atwhich UE assumes that the signals are mapped to the available resourcesbased on a pre-defined rule. UE transmits or receives signal atoperation 3350.

The additional resource indication can be signaled in the dedicatedchannel, e.g., in each TTI. A typical case is that the gNB configure theinformation on resources used for a certain service. The indicatedresources need to be precluded for other services. The UE may implicitlyderive the resource for its corresponding service and make properresource usage.

FIG. 34 illustrates a method of a UE for receiving/transmitting dataaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 34, the UE receives information on radio resourcesallocated to the UE from a base station at operation 3410. The radioresources are associated with a plurality of symbols in a time domainand a plurality of resource block groups in a frequency domain. Theinformation on the radio resources includes at least one of firstinformation on a starting symbol, or second information on a size ofeach of the resource block groups. The first information on the startingsymbol may include an index of the starting symbol. The index of thestarting symbol may indicate one of predefined candidates for thestarting symbol. Additionally or alternatively, full symbol bitmapindication, indication of end symbol index, indication of duration ofthe radio resources associated with the UE, tree based indication ofcontinuously allocated symbols and/or other types of information onresource allocation configuration, which is described in the aboveembodiments, can be received from the base station. The firstinformation may be transmitted in control information on a downlinkcontrol channel or by a higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling).Specifically, the index of the starting symbol may transmitted in DCI onPDCCH, and the information on predefined candidates for the startingsymbol may transmitted by RRC signaling. The second information on thesize of each of the resource block groups may be transmitted by a higherlayer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). If the UE receives the bitmapindicating the resource block groups that are allocated to the UE, theUE receives from the base station or transmits to the base station basedon the second information (i.e., the size of each of the resource blockgroups).

In addition, the UE may identify duration of the radio resourcesallocated to the UE. As illustrated FIGS. 16 and 18, the UE maydetermine whether information on the duration is included in controlinformation received on a downlink control channel. If the informationon the duration is not included in the control information, the UE usesthe information to identify the duration. If the information on theduration is not included in the control information, the UE determinesthe duration based on a higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling).

The UE receives from the base station or transmits to the base stationdata based on the information on the information on the radio resources(e.g., starting symbol, the size of each of the resource block groups,and the duration) at operation 3420.

FIG. 35 illustrates a method of a base station forreceiving/transmitting data according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 35, the base station transmits, to a UE, informationon radio resources allocated to the UE at operation 3510. Theinformation on the radio resources includes at least one of firstinformation on a starting symbol, or second information on a size ofeach of the resource block groups. In addition, the base station maytransmit information on duration of the radio resources allocated to theUE. The first information on the starting symbol may include an index ofthe starting symbol. The index of the starting symbol may indicate oneof predefined candidates for the starting symbol. The information on theduration of the radio resources allocated to the UE may be transmittedin control information on a downlink control channel or by a higherlayer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). The base station transmits to theUE or receives from the UE data based on the information on the radioresources allocated to the UE at operation 3520.

FIG. 36 is a block diagram of a UE in a cellular network according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 36, the UE (3600) includes a transceiver (3610) and aprocessor (3620). The transceiver (3610) and the processor (3620) areconfigured to perform the steps of the method illustrated in FIGS. 16,18, 26, 31, 32, 33, 33A, 33B and 34, or the operations of a UE describedabove. For example, the transceiver (3610) may be configured to receivesignals from a base station and transmit signals to the base station,and the processor (3620) may be configured to control the transceiver(3610) to receive information on radio resources allocated to the UE(3600), and control the transceiver (3610) to receive data based on theinformation on the radio resources. In addition, the processor (3620)may be configured to identify duration of the radio resources allocatedto the UE (3600).

FIG. 37 is a block diagram of a base station in a cellular networkaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 37, the base station (3700) includes a transceiver(3710) and a processor (3720). The transceiver (3710) and the processor(3720) are configured to perform the steps of the method illustrated inFIGS. 35 or the operations of a gNB described above. For example, thetransceiver (3710) may be configured to receive signals from a UE andtransmit signals to the UE, and the processor (3720) may be configuredto control the transceiver (3710) to transmit information on radioresources allocated to the UE, and control the transceiver (3710) totransmit data based on the information on the radio resources allocatedto the UE. In addition, the processor (3720) may be configured totransmit information on duration of the radio resources allocated to theUE.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a terminal for receivingdownlink data, the method comprising: identifying a plurality ofresource block groups (RBGs) based on a size of bandwidth partconfigured for the terminal; receiving, from a base station, downlinkcontrol information on frequency domain resource allocation; identifyingdownlink transmission resources among the plurality of RBGs based on thedownlink control information; and receiving, from the base station,downlink data in the downlink transmission re source.